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This is a humbling plea for help from our community. As many of you know, Pete had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in his early 20s, and through radiation and removal of some lymph nodes, he beat it. However, Pete has now been diagnosed with another type of cancer known as dismoplastic melanoma. The oncologist tells us that this is a rare form of cancer and that there is no cure once it has spread. Chemo and radiation will not work and will not be used to fight it. At this point, we know that Pete is in stage two out of four. We should know how far it has gone after surgery …

From this surgery, we will know how far the cancer has spread and what Pete’s chances are for survival. The best case scenario will be to find out that the cancer has not spread. At that point he may be able to take an immuno-builder that will help him fight future cancer cells. If it has spread, there will be no remission and he will need to be checked regularly, as this cancer travels along the nervous system and can end up anywhere in his body …

I must admit, it is very awkward and uncomfortable to ask this of you. My plea to you is this: We will not have enough income to cover the doctor/hospital bills that are already accumulating, or our mortgage in February (hopefully, our house will sell sooner than later). I am asking for any help that you can give us (and ONLY if you can afford it, as I know that many of you have been struggling, just as we have, in this economy) to help us cover our bills so that we might have a little breathing room to deal with this. We could only return our complete and utter gratitude …

A long time ago, I had a site called Swizzle-Stick and even had a small staff. We talked about naming an “Artist of the Year” a few times and in 1999, had we gone through with it, Pete would have won the award. His album, ‘Sweet Ona Rosa’, was a favorite among the staff and even then, we wish more people had heard it.

We’ll be keeping Pete and his family in our thoughts. If you’re interested in reading more and seeing ways you can help, please check this out.